Is it possible to follow my passion?

Have you ever changed job? Ever felt like there was more to life than serving people coffees at the local cafe on the corner? More to life than a shiny pair of shoes, tie and a suit? Whatever it is ‘you do’, ask yourself, is this my passion? If it’s not, it’s time to make a change. For many of us change is hard to come by, but you must keep trying, because the more you try the more chance you have of succeeding. If you find it hard to make a change the best way to overcome this is to remind yourself of the hard truths of chasing success and living out your passion. First and foremost is recognizing that there is nothing to lose in life because everything is fleeting and will eventually end. Regardless of how we live our lives we are all going to achieve the same outcome. What really matters is what you do in the time that’s given to you. A window of opportunity in which we must choose a path of happiness, joy, success, achievement, boredom or mediocrity, it’s up to you.
Thinking of life in this way can be overwhelming but it will help you put your life into perspective. You see at the end of the day when life comes to an end, how much of what you did actually mattered? What impact did you have and how did you make a difference? Being successful is one thing, but making a difference to other people’s lives is another. Be bold, unique and courageous, otherwise your contributions will be easily forgotten. I remember reading a quote from Benjamin Franklin who said "If you make yourself a sheep the wolves will eat you", I then remembered a quote I heard which was "I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock from the wolf". I find myself resonating with being the sheepdog. I don't want to sit back and follow the crowd, travel the safe path and settle for normalcy or mediocrity. But, I also want to protect flock from the wolf. I want to help but I also want to be strong, bold and courageous. Adopting an attitude to life based on your own passion and the importance of others will help you realize that the only thing that matters is chasing your dreams and becoming who it is you aspire to be in this life.
Steve Jobs once said "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle". We all have a limited amount of time on this earth so I encourage you to be brave and take risks. Explore what life has to offer and if something doesn’t work out don’t be afraid to try something different. If you fail, don’t give up because the key to success is not giving up. If you never stop trying you never actually fail because eventually those failures will lead to lasting success and fulfillment. Michael Jordan once said "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed". I encourage you to look at life with perspective. Understand that failure is a stepping stone to your success. Find that thing that drives you, keeps you motivated and makes you get up in the morning.
Have you ever heard the saying, "live everyday like it’s your last?" I know for many of us and myself included that we can all take life for granted sometimes, so it’s important we take a step back and smell the roses once in awhile. Look at our lives and assess our direction and ambitions. What are we truly doing to fulfill ourselves, chase our passion, make us happy and create lasting memories and relationships that will last a lifetime? These parts of life are so important yet they are so easily overlooked. We get caught in the busy routine of life and forget what truly matters to us. Do you really want to live a life of regret? I know I don’t and you don’t have to either, but you must be willing to accept that every failure is a lesson. If you are not willing to fail, you are not ready to succeed.